Tilden Regional Park
2501 Grizzly Peak Blvd, Orinda, CA 94563
Tilden Regional Park, also known as Tilden Park or Tilden, is a 2079-acre (841 ha) regional park in eastern Bay, part of California's San Francisco Bay Area. This is between San Pablo Ridge and the Berkeley Hills. The main entrance is near Kensington, Richmond, Berkeley and. Wildcat Canyon Regional Park adjoins the city.
The park is managed by the East Bay Regional Park District, formed from the District's first land purchased in 1936.
Tilden Regional Park was named to honor Charles Lee Tilden, an attorney and businessman from the Bay Area who served on the East Bay Regional Park District's first board of directors.
Location:
Tilden Park is situated mostly within unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County, though portions of the park are situated within Oakland and Berkeley. The steep valleys and thick forest stands give a remarkable view of the wilderness so close to town. The high ridges and peaks offer large views to Mount Diablo over the San Francisco Bay and inside via other protected property.
The park's eastern boundary lies approximately on the San Pablo Ridge crest. The western limit nearly follows the Berkeley Hills crest.
Previous to this, portions of the parkland had been used for agricultural use. Exotic trees such as eucalyptus, have been planted in many areas. There are also some giant sequoia stands which are relatively recently planted. However, current conservation efforts are aimed at restoring as much as possible of native vegetation, and significant parts of the park are covered in native coastal scrub. The East Bay Regional Parks District is using grazing as a way of minimizing weeds, with a herd of goats grazing in Tilden every season.
Over weekends, AC Transit bus line 67 operates into the park from the Berkeley BART station. The bus line stops in the Tilden Nature Area / Little Farm, Lone Oak Road, Lake Anza / Merry-Go-Round, and Brazilian Room / Botanical Garden before returning to Berkeley.
History
The lands that are now Tilden Park had been tribal lands of Ohlone Indians before becoming a public park. Spanish explorers and Mexican ranchos pushed the Ohlone off the land as ranching became the dominant practice in Wildcat Canyon. The late 1800s and early 1900s American ranchers included the Curran family ranch as well as the Sweet Briar Dairy. Around 1910 Frank C. Havens' Eucalyptus, Mahogany, & Land Company planted the eucalyptus plantations within the park.
On June 4, 1936, the East Bay Regional Park District bought the first parkland from the East Bay Municipal Utility District. They purchased 2,162 acres included land for Tilden Park (then known as Upper Wildcat Canyon), Lake Temescal, and Robert Sibley Regional Preserve (then known as "Roundtop").
On July 16, 1936, Upper Wildcat Canyon was formally named "Charles Lee Tilden Regional Park."
By Jeffreymendel Jeffrey Nash - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50308966
This amazing landmark is located near the following amazing must-see sites in Berkeley, California:
- Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
- Lawrence Hall of Science
- Indian Rock Park
- Berkeley Rose Garden
- César E. Chávez ParkÂ
- The University of California Botanical Garden
- Adventure Playground
- Codornices Park
All of these wonderful points of interest are located just a short distance from our location, conveniently located just down the freeway at 1261 Locust St, Walnut Creek! Stop by for a visit anytime!
